The WHO South-East Asia Regional Strategic Framework for improving newborn and child health has been prepared to offer guidance to Member States (Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea [DPR Korea], India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste) to develop and strengthen national strategies and plans to improve newborn and child health and development. The Strategic Framework advocates for Member States to integrate an inclusive child health and development perspective into policies and actions, ensuring that governments commit to providing a healthy start for every child, aligning with child rights and overall societal and economic development goals. It emphasizes the importance of assessing the local situation to undertake appropriate actions and underscores the need for multisectoral collaboration, alignment with related health programmes and strengthening health systems. 

 

The implementation of initiatives in alignment with this Framework requires enhanced planning and capacity at both the national and subnational levels to scale up evidence-based interventions for newborn and child health across the continuum of care. However, it must be noted that this Framework is not an isolated strategy for newborn and child health. It recognizes that newborn and child health and well-being depend on the good health, nutrition and well-being of mothers and envisions it to be a part of a life-course continuum of care, which aligns harmoniously with maternal health programmes proximally and adolescent health programmes distally during programme implementation in countries.